We can thank ASUS for ushering in the netbook era with its tiny Eee personal computer. Since the introduction the netbook segment has boomed and many different models of netbooks are being offered from virtually all notebook makers.

DailyTech has been following the Dell entry into the netbook market for a while now, which was called the Dell Inspiron Mini when it was first covered in June. According to Information Week, the system will now be called the Inspiron 910 or Inspiron Mini 9.

The launch date for the system is debatable; Information Week claims that the netbook will be released this Thursday, September 4. Gizmodo was the first publication to run leaked specs for the Dell netbook and according to Gizmodo, the launch date will be September 5.

If the leaked specificationsGizmodo is reporting are accurate, the system will run on an Intel Atom N270 CPU at 1.6GHz. The system will has 1GB of RAM and use an 8.9-inch WLED screen with a 1024 x 600 screen resolution. Video will be via Intel 945GMS UMA and audio will be ALC268.

The Inspiron 910 will also feature storage via SSD with 4/8/16GB capacity and feature WLAN and WWAN connectivity. Gizmodo also reports that the 910 will have a pair of full size minicard slots on the bottom and a 3-in-1 card reader. Operating system choices will include Ubuntu Linux or Windows XP. The system weight will be 2.20 pounds with the base 4-cell battery.

Pricing is still up in the air at this point. Gizmodo reports that the starting price could be as low as $299. Other sources report pricing would be in the $400 range.

"Spreading the rumors, it's very easy because the people who write about Apple want that story, and you can claim its credible because you spoke to someone at Apple." -- Investment guru Jim Cramer